Days 211 to 220

Finally got back to NU and back to work. The holiday is certainly disruptive to the pace of life, so whilst we had set things in motion before the break we were assuming that it would mostly be resolved by the time we returned. So we are still waiting for certain claims to be reimbursed, which is over 2 months of waiting and talking and waiting some more. Things have progressed that one of managers has now sent it to the Kazakhstani’s version of the President of the university, the one has the actual power (rather than sending it to the President of NU or the Provost), called Maxat Mamashev. So we must wait even longer. The only thing I can say is that at least we did not have to worry about the claims sat on a credit card, but would be extremely frustrating had we been unable to clear the debt ourselves. It is a disastrous state of affairs for NU and yet they do not see it, or do not care or simply will not or cannot do anything about it. The one thing you need is expatriate staff to help develop and stabilise the university before its handover. In order to achieve that you need to ensure your employees are happy (generally speaking). Giving them the run around over finance issues and arguing over interpretations of the wording in the contract is not. Then having such a poor response to the hot water being turned off for 3.5 weeks is a killer.

Various people and the faculty senate raised this issue through the chain of command. The faculty senate was able to go straight to the Executive Vice President Maxat who in essence said that’s life and you’ll go through it for the good of the university. You can imagine how well this went down with the expats. Eventually, NU did come up with some ideas of what to do. Faculty staff could take a bus, at a discounted price, to a banya (sauna), at a discounted price, twice a week. Families tried to point out that this was utter ridiculous and all communication went quiet. About a week into the hot water switch off, they finally install some hot water heaters into the gym showers in our block, but didn’t tell anyone. It had to circulate by word of mouth, until someone told them that an email with information would be a good idea. During this time we were trying to fill baths for the children using a kettle. After 15 loads, the electrics blew accompanied by the smell of burning plastic. We went on to a combination of kettles and pans of water on the stove. It wasn’t that bad, but the poor response by the university senior managers was. Again, they fail to see the link between an academics personal life and their work life, given that the academic is (more often than not) living on campus and subject to the decisions and infrastructure that the university has decreed. Think Ali was somewhat frustrated too by going to use the hot shower in the gym just when they turned off that hot water too. Turns out that the engineering company effecting repairs had turned the hot water back on to our block, but again no-one told us.

A few cold showers during the Summer were not a problem for me after some cycles. But feeling very run down and feeling a lot of pain from my right hip. Possibly early onset of arthritis. So the running has ebbed to a few short sprints and the attempt to run the marathon distance has become a dream. Thinking that the hot weather is a little too oppressive as even getting up for a 6am cycle is taxing my body.

I am now gearing up for the beginning of the academic year and all the modules I thought I had are now changed for the undergraduate programme. I am coordinating chemistry for chemical engineers, but another department is actually doing the work. The thermodynamics I was going to help had been given to another entirely. And the PhD lectures have not been timetabled so I cannot even begin to prepare anything. The stress comes in two parts. The first is lack of real leadership within our department as it feels more like trying to carve out a day-to-day routine to cover what is necessary. The second is that we are understaffed and having to do everything that needs doing, but having to wait to the last minute because we do not know who will come back from the break. For our department all have come back that we were expecting, but the grumbling has escalated. I also heard from the grapevine that our Dean is going to replace the Head of our department, but no-one else was told who.

Was going to take Friday morning off, in lieu of having to work a number of Saturday mornings, and was going to go swimming, but my Dean asked me to go along to a Strategic Research meeting with the Vice-Provost, which actually held a smidgen of potential for the future. But I do not want to get over-excited.

Ali and children were really jet-lagged and this lasted for some time until Ali felt keen enough to get up and start schooling. Children have been non-responsive before 11am most days. Cannot say I blame them. I have dragged them away from their friends and family. They had a great Summer break and now back to Kazakhstan. Was very concerned, but Rebekah found her friends, Matthias had his Lego and Kyria was her usual easy-go-happy self. So that just leaves Ali with the kids 24-7 until we can get a babysitter. Have been trying to soften the blow and took them all to a restaurant called Ali Babas where the theme is Arabian including all the staff costumes. The food was really good, there was a play area for the kids and the menu was in Chicken. Or what I meant to say was in English, but the heat got to me, so I squawked like a chicken for a few minutes until the waitress took our order.

The other bribe or treat I should say, for keeping my family in Astana is a regular trip to find some DVDs. If you were ever wondering the power of branding, then look at this photo. The titles are in Russian and yet you wont need to know any Cyrillic letters to know what these movies are. You can tell from the style and colour of the lettering.

Days 181 to 210

8^th July, I got to head home. After a frantic 45 minutes of trying to find out where the minibus got to, I am safely delivered to the airport. I also had to endure the 10 minute detention at passport control. The officer even left his booth with my passport to talk to someone else. I could not help thinking of another colleague that tried to leave a week ago but his police registration had expired. He was refused entry to the plane and taken to court the next day. He was fined in excess of 30,000 tenge and it took another 6-7 days before he could get his passport back. I think he had this trouble a year ago and seemed pretty chilled about it. The university helpers in the International Affairs and Hiring Office issued several reminders that they are not responsible for checking the validity of the passports, visas and police registration expiry dates. Funny that, because very few can actually read the blooming things let alone understand the rules and regulations of this country. I guess it’s their way of shifting blame.

It the holidays and we’re back in the UK. Greeted by my wife and girls; Matthias had an overnight stay with his grandparents, which he enjoyed immensely as Rebekah had a chance to meet up with a friend and go to her old school in Eastbourne. I had a day to recover and then off to Disneyland Paris. This was the start to a busy holiday.

This blog is supposed to be about Kazkahstan experiences, so will not be writing much during the holidays, but will perhaps cover anything relating to Kazakhstan.

So I managed to embarrass Ali. Not too difficult when she is married to me, you say. How rude! It was on the second day back in the UK and we go to Sainsburys to prepare for the trip to France. It is an amazing experience when you can walk into a supermarket and read everything on the shelves, understand what other customers are saying and the cashier when she asks you questions. Of course I should learn some Russian for our time in Astana. But when I saw Sarsons vinegar, I was very moved. Close to tears. Almost hugged the cashier and gave her a couple of hundred tenge notes I had for her grandchildren.

There’s lots of great things about coming back to the UK. The friends and family we stayed with and met. Those we camped with at New Wine. Those we shared fantastic meals with. But sadly we could not get to see everyone. I was hoping to completely ignore work, but had a few things to attend to at Brighton Uni. The situations there with a whole load of renovation reminded me of what I had just got away from in Astana. There will always be struggles and stress where work is concerned, perhaps that is rooted firmly where money/salary is a necessary part of the job.

I did have to Skype into an interview with a chemical engineering consultant somewhere else in the UK as part of my attempt to apply for Head of Chemical Engineering and for Full Professor. Although my chat with people back in Astana had said that neither was going to be a possibility this year. So spent an hour trying to first explain the situation at NU and then convince him that I was an ideal candidate for the Full Professor position. This sparked emails with the Dean of Chemical Engineering at NU who said that, in discussion with the rest of the Engineering Interview Panel, which comprised the senior figures (Heads of Discipline) in the Engineering School, I needed to improve my research profile and demonstrate my ability to publish and raise money at NU. So they had advised against giving me an interview. So I was shocked that I was asked to Skype in. Perhaps the last 6 months had gotten the better of me, so in response to the Dean I listed all Full Professors in the School (apart from the Dean and Vice Dean) and their H-index (an often overused and not very telling metric for research) and number of publications. And then listed mine. Turns out that I have over twice the number of publications and H-index value than the best performer of the Full Professors currently in post. I also suggested that we could look at the impact factor (another research metric for each journal), over-citations, etc, because I knew I had been successful with this – I am fully aware that some of my contemporaries in the same field of research have developed far better metrics than I, but then there’s a lot of history to unpack, especially regarding which universities they’ve been at, which groups they’ve associated with, etc. I also reminded the Dean that I had been running several research grants successfully and that the ability to perform at NU was part of the job description not the Full Professor application. So far, all communication has gone quiet.

It may sound like I have been moaning and perhaps I have. I think in some respect I talk about it to distress from that situation. However, the event seems to hammer home that NU has a long way to go to get things organised. There appears to be some internal battles going on, between the Schools and the Administrators. I wonder if the sudden Skype interview had something to do with another Full Professor wannabe who happens to be Kazakhstani and I’ve become a pawn in a game of politics. I doubt I will ever know. It underlines the thought that expatriate staff are bought and paid for. We are just window dressing. If we said yes to our current position, why pay us more by giving us a better position. Still, I carry a small amount of hope.

Towards the end of the holiday and worrying about our return to Kazakhstan. This is not helped by emails saying that we will be without hot water for 3.5 weeks and their solution to it is to send us by bus (at our expense, albeit with a discount) to a sauna in the city (at our expense, albeit with a discount), only twice a week. And no mention whether children are allowed. In trying to discuss this with the Managing Council of NU, we are dismissed out of hand and told to face the difficulties for the good of the university. For us old timers at NU (even after 6 months!) this is another drop in the well. Another tale in the saga of life at NU. But for new staff, this will put them on the back foot. I cannot count how many faculty members have all said that they are looking for a job elsewhere.

We got back safely to Astana. We had checked the flight path before boarding. Whilst it goes over Russia, I wonder if Air Astana will be affected by the closure of Russian airspace to EU and US flights (or perhaps it is only the country of the registered owners of the airlines rather than destinations). Our apartment is still here and there is a sense of returning home, despite the lack of hot water. We did blow the electrics trying to fill a bath for the children with a kettle. Now we battle on till Christmas. So much to do. Hopefully it will keep our minds from missing the UK too much. Rebekah was my greatest concern, but she found her friends back here and is happy. Matthias earned enough money to buy his Lego Star Wars Rancor set. Kyria is as she ever was. Ali, I think, misses home. Family, friends, coffee. They’re here in Kazakhstan too, but some will take a bit longer to cultivate.

The most immediate challenge is to get to sleep earlier each night and wake up earlier in the morning. Currently we've got it down from 3am to 1am sleep time, and from noon to 10am waking up time. Jet lag. Such a pain.

 

Days 171 to 180

Family back in the UK having a good time. Would like to think they were waiting for me, but alas they had their fish and chips and dared to enjoy it! It is odd to be in Kazakhstan without my family for no other reason than we are now living here which makes it harder. Previous trips to abroad meant I was focussed on completing the job at hand and tuning into the family news via Skype when we found the time. Now it’s a case of having completed all my jobs, I’m twiddling my thumbs, straightening out my CV and watching the Tour de France.

There was some revelation this week. I needed to sign a form to return money to the university for not going to Korea. Money that I would have used for a hotel and flights. Not sure how good the news was, but one of our HR ladies informed me that we no longer needed to sign contracts with the NURIS organisation but could have done this direct with the School. And she seemed surprised that I didn’t know this. Perhaps this is pay back after giving her a hard time about getting an apostille for my PhD. I was frustrated that they couldn’t accept my PhD certificate and a letter from Sussex University that I had a PhD. Perhaps universities that produce only 2 Nobel Prize winners are not good enough? I also had to sort out my Kazakhstan and UK criminal background check. The former was easier enough, with a trip into the city to a stall in one of the shopping centres and signing a bit of paper. The latter was not too problematic, after finding a company that could do the checks over the internet, but was costly though. Still, it keeps me employed at NU for a little longer. Though I was in two minds as to whether I should have pushed them to see if they would withhold my pay or fire me. Some weird Kazakh employment rule that says anyone in academia must have a background check from the home country and also when working in education a certificate from a university approved by the government. So I had forgot that they are only doing their job, so I grew up a bit and purchased some nice cookies to say sorry.

With the majority of staff on holiday, now seems the time to try and conduct some repairs to the site, so they turned the power off for a full day and I spent my Saturday in the office alone, waiting for the TdF stage to start and wondering if grass is greener in another country.

Two men, suddenly pseudo-batchelors in Astana. Nathan’s misses and boy had stayed out of the country longer than Nathan, so off to find steak and chips. Fusion was calling. Must have been a thick accent as we turned up to their site to find it undergoing renovation. The whole things had moved elsewhere in the city. Thankfully Nathan could speak Kazakh and managed to get there in time to finish a meal before the football started. Trouble was that whatever taxi company the university use, it took over an hour and repeated phone calls before I cancelled them and ordered a proper one who took 5 minutes to get there. Naturally there was no apology from the receptionist or explanation as to the general incompetence of the taxi driver, but then after 6 months I have learnt that none would be forthcoming.

Days 161 to 170

Finally, the PhD interviews arrived. Frantic last minute organisation and trying to remember who is available for conducting the interviews. Of course a lot of staff have already headed out on holiday, leaving the rest to take on the candidates and act all professionally. Mostly it worked and there were some keen potentials. Students that is. And perhaps staff too who may have missed this aspect of academia. We’re pinning a lot of hope on these students to do some research and remind us of why we all really wanted to do PhDs in the first place. A bit like trying to live your missed childhood through your children.

Had a visiting Professor over for a week whom I met in Krakow at a conference last year. Nice guy and also an entertainer of my children as we all went out to sample some of the restaurants in Astana.

So day before Ali and the children are due to fly out, Rebekah is sick. Ali was somewhat frantic trying to get everything organised and I don’t think my “chuck it in the suitcase and do up the zip” attitude was helping. They flew out from Astana on the 26^th, Rebekah was in floods of tears, which were kind of prolonged. They had to wait 10 minutes at Passport Control to be allowed out of the country and hung around waving goodbye throughout. When Ali finally waved me away, I get a phone call with Matthias sobbing in the background. He didn’t get to do his last goodbye wave. At least Fred was on the same flight which made it easier for Ali to get the hand luggage on and off the plane and keeping the kids in check.

I went back to university and had a chicken sandwich and chips, mulling the next 13 days without my family. But I had some companionship. The next day I must have caught whatever bug Rebekah had and became ill, which put a stop to the longer distance running I planned to do for about a week.

It’s so quiet at the university. Hardly any academics around. Most have got a longer break. This just leaves me, a few extraneous members of Faculty and the admin team. Really unfair for them. One administrator was sent to China to chaperone a whole load of undergraduate students, to sit in meetings and then head back to work to debrief. And this was considered their holiday. Must always remember that whatever the expatriate staff suffer, the locals probably have it worse and because of their culture they do not complain.

Still not too long to wait for the Tour de France to start. Got to keep occupied until I get to fly back to the UK.

Days 151 to 160

Took two weeks for most of the feeling to return and have dutifully abstained from cycling during this period. Instead have been trying to pour my efforts into running. Went out and ran 12 miles. This is 2 laps around the perimeter of the site in which the university stands, about 5 miles. So had to run a couple of miles in the gym prior to heading outside into +25 ^oC. Took a while but managed to get close to the average speed I was hoping. Then went out quite a few days later to only run a single lap in +30 ^oC, which nearly finished me. It has taken a long time to recover from that effort.

So I got some initial feedback on Full Professor application. Of course nothing is written down and therefore subject to subtle changes through verbal communication. It appears that I have not been at the university long enough to be considered for this post. Plus it was felt that my research “prowess” should be stronger. I understand that a Full Professor in the UK usually has an amazing CV when at one of the top universities and I had discussed my track towards this end with colleagues and managers at Brighton Uni. So of course I retorted that my position should be that of a Full Professor anyway because my last post was on par with a Full Professor outside the UK. I also was quite aware that if one simply does not want to promote you, they can always say “need more X”. X being papers, citations, funding, PhD students. The criteria for a Full Professor is not exactly objective and really does depend on the field you are working in. Nothing happened in response, which is as expected. Never get to talk to the right people and even then, when their minds are made up there’s no moving them.

Ali went for an MRI scan. The back of her head has been hurting, but only when she pokes it. I came up with a most wise suggestion. It is reassuring that we have access to modern medical technology, though it does take private medical insurance to pay for it. I doubt we’d get this level of treatment back in the UK. I also wonder if only the rich Kazakhs would be able to obtain this service. The results came back and showed everything was as it should be. No obvious complications that might explain the headaches. Other than the continual poking of her head.

There was a mad dash to get a British Council funding application in on time and then onto prepare a whole load of forms for the Equipment Committee meeting. Suddenly they need a lot of information that I cannot see actually helps. Once the item is approved, then one can go for quotes through the tender process. Why they have to have delivery charges, customs charges, users identified, location for installation, connection requirements in the decision making process to approve that the item can go to tender is dumbfounding.

Met a few junior staff during the week interested in applying for PhD program in materials. So at least I may have something to come back for after the summer break. They also had a lot of experience with equipment I want to lecture on, so suddenly can find myself with some guest lecturers, whilst I evaluate their lecturing capability as part of their professional development course. Also got my tentative lecturing load for next year on the undergraduate programme. Not too horrific, but no point in trying to prepare anything until they are confirmed. This will mean a lot of work in the run up to the start of lectures mid-August.

Had to evaluate a tender process for a machine back at Brighton. One I hoped to have during my time there. We had developed the specifications with a local company and if it works, then should have access to the one of the world’s leading XPS. Whether it will be available in time before Gee (my PhD student at Brighton) completes will be a close thing, but hopefully very useful to him.

Had to cancel the conference in South Korea and the beach side hotel. Very disappointed not to visit the island of Jeju, but I could not go under the yoke of the NURIS contract. They tried to persuade me and I refused. I had one of our Engineering team try and persuade me, but had to be equally as firm. They said my refusal would not bring about change. This is true. And maybe will affect any chances of negotiating an extension to a contract should we survive 3 years here. But part of the reason for being here is to show them a better way of running things. If they don’t listen, then my being here is pointless. To that end I’ve become part of the Faculty Senate, which is supposed to be the communication arm of the Faculty for concerns over policies and decisions. The reality is that within any form of power (other than limited voting rights in other Senates) then it is just a voice that can be ignored. At least they do get to hear of developments before anyone else. Whilst this may be seen as gossip, I think it actually helps to brace oneself and limit the impact of shock.

Ali and the children are excited by going home soon. Though their reason for heading home early was because I was supposed to be in South Korea, which now isn’t going to happen. I think a trip to Hardees and a chocolate milkshake is in order.

Days 141 to 150

A rather bizarre visit to the hospital. Our police registration had not run out. It was for 6 months, but the university decided we should undergo the formal procedure to get re-registered early. So Ali, the kids and I all went to the hospital where we had to endure being marched in front of 6 different doctors and nurses and repeat the same thing. “No we’ve had no problem with X”. X being ears, nose, throat, brain, lungs, hands (only for blokes?!?), eye sight. This took 3 hours and as you can imagine the children were bored. Problem was that we didn’t see everyone we had to and so had to go back to find the remaining examiners. Blood was taken, blood pressure assessed and the final summation from the head doctor. Another 2.5 hours wasted, just so we could get the stamps and signatures required. Ali also had to pay for her “treatment”. Thankfully we had a translator, although needed a female one when Ali went to see the nurse. Just had to keep repeating "no we've had no problems with X". What we couldn’t figure out was why any of this was actually necessary. After all, we could have flown out of the country and returned to get a new police registration certificate. How does that equate to the need for a full medical work up? Anyway, not looking forward to having to do this again as part of the Visa renewal in December.

With the imminent departure of Joe and Penny back to the States and repeated reminders from Matthias to Joe, we sat down to watch Star Wars, which was just for the boys. A great excuse to over dose on chocolate and get excited by a New Hope. The downside was that Joe and Penny did leave a few days later. Matthias in particular was upset, but I too was sad to see them head home. In part because I will miss his enigmatic presence, as well as his confidence when things seemed to hit the wall. On the upside, we replenished our food stocks and our kitchen utensils as they had to limit the number of bags to take on the plane. Hopefully not too long to wait before we can go see them in New York.

Been chatting with Kazakh undergrad ladies about them sacrificing their career for their men. A few of us were in Gloria Jean’s Coffee, drinking whatever they actually had available from the menu and one of the lasses said she had been shot at in America, which detached part of her finger and re-sown. Sadly one of her companions in the party being shot at was hit and killed. Somehow this didn’t put her off going back to America. Anyway, as the conversation unfolded they were commenting on how sad it was to see close girl friends give up their entire career just to be a stay at home wife. I obviously have no objection to Ali staying at home and would be quite happy if she wanted the situation reversed. However, it was the fact that this is a very male dominated society, which I had not really come across before. There are a lot more women than men, though the higher up jobs tend to be populated with men, whilst the women stay at home raising children. The theory is that the men have a lot more women to choose from and if dissatisfied with their current wife, can leave them to find a new one. This in turn means that the current wife will do more to keep the husband happy, including sacrificing their careers, even if they were higher up the echelon than their husbands.

Naturally, we were reflecting upon the stereotypical 1950s house wives and what it took to bring some form of equality in society or even in the relationship. Withholding sex. But with the gender imbalance I guess this would force men to find a wife that would not withhold sex and so the problem continues. There is perhaps little impetus in the current climate to address the issue, though Kazakhstan whilst being intrinsically Muslim appears not to be heading towards a Sharia law. In fact it is difficult to know where the country might head in terms of religious views. I’ve mentioned before some of the problems if a person is not Muslim or Russian Orthodox and that freedom of religion is not the same as in the West. Despite there being allowances to practise different religions, when they affect an individual citizen then the state steps in and hammer home very secular trials. Try and match that with the presence of superstition even among the top educated Kazakhs, it is a strange mixture.

Some say that Kazakhstan’s society is emerging out of a similar scene in 1950s US, but the geopolitical nature combined with advanced technology pervading every part of their society will make for a very different outcome. There are many that want to see greater change and greater reformation here, but to what end. Introduce any modicum of change in one aspect of the machine will cause another part of the machine to change and in ways that will not always be beneficial. There’s a lot to do, but it will take time. One could adapt a quote from The Patriot “I would not swap one dictator concerned with the needs of the many for many dictators concerned about the needs of a few”. There are many ways in which one could derive meaning from this, but never let it be said that a dictator, especially a benevolent dictator, is a negative thing! In the UK I’ve always wanted to believe that there was stability, security and trust in the system that represented the people, so that no-one could take advantage and yet there are stories of what the UK government has done over many centuries and sometimes still does. Perhaps it is on a much reduced scale compared with developing countries and perhaps there are greater standards of protecting the rights of the individual. Though I’m sure this will be disputed by Julian Assange, Ian Tomlinson or Christopher Tappin, etc.

Some struggles still persist. Been waiting for a month now to get some shipping allowance and home schooling budget repaid. Apparently purchasing the bike through the internet means that I never owned the bike before shipping and cannot use the shipping allowance as it is not a personal item. I tried to reason with them given that I or a friend could have purchased the bike and sent it to Kazakhstan from a private address, without ever having unwrapped it, and the Finance team would be none the wiser. Alas all communication went cold after that. Had to meet HR to discuss the issue of home schooling budget. We had purchased a lot of books according to one contract, but HR and Finance insist that they got the age range wrong in that contract. So we discussed what it should be and then Finance turn round and say we can only claim according to the new wording. We also discussed what could be procured through this budget and it turns out that the Kazakhstani’s policy for education is to have one approved curriculum disseminated to all schools. All text books are derived from a single list only. And they want us to do the same. I tried to reason with them, reminded them that we are here to build a better, more Western style university, not to have our children educated according to the Kazakh system. The funny moment came when I said that we had purchased the collected works of William Shakespeare, which they deemed was fiction and not educational. Naturally I was irritated by the whole affair and reminded them that at the time of purchase the old contract was effective. All communication went cold after that too.

Went for a ride with Sean after replacement tyres finally turned up. 80 km onto the Steppe and back again, not too problematic. No punctures. Turns out it was partly my fault. I had read on the website for Continental tyres that the maximum inflation pressure was 175 psi. So I put 150 psi in and went for the ride, which blew a tyre somewhere along the way and another tyre on standing back at the apartment. Turns out that the operating pressure should be around 115 psi, which I used for the 80 km trek. So all seems fine with the tyres and the ride. Keeping up with Sean quite well until I ran out of water and hit the wall. Only when I got back to the apartment the usual numbness that sets in after 20-30 km in the lower regions of the male body didn’t instantly return. After a few days still no feeling. Ali has forbidden any cycling until I get a better saddle.

Days 131 to 140

Okay, so nice new bike heading towards the Steppe. The original idea was to set off after Sean, give him a head start, cycle out to a reasonable distance and he would pick me up on the way back. Didn’t get far. Ended up with a double puncture. Had to make one repair on the road. No-one stopped to help. Equally no-one stopped to knock me over the head and nick my bike either. Managed to limp home but Sean didn’t catch me. So have used up all the spare tyres, having to fly more from the UK. So at least can catch my breath and rest my legs.

Finally managed to go to the much acclaimed restaurant called Fusion. Excellent steak. Very pricey. Company was excellent. Lina and Gerald baby sat. Kids very excited. Went with Joe and Penny to say goodbye. They’re due to leave soon. Me, very sad.

The hassles continue with trying to sort out my conference trip to South Korea. The set-up of the university with its many separate legal entities, but dependant on the university, means they have particular ways of working. So they want me to sign a contract that basically means that I have to repay the university in the event I am unable to give the conference talk, regardless of whether I get the money back from the conference. Plus be exposed to penalty fees and late charges until the talk is given. Seems like I’m one of the many who find this unacceptable work practise.

School hassles also continue. After writing the much needed updates to the health and safety documentation for the School, someone then tries to suggest exactly what I recommended. Desperation?

Running going well. 5km in 23:21. Haven’t run that quick before.

A number of positions opened up in the School of Engineering including Head of Chemical Engineering and Full Professor. My previous position at Brighton was Reader, which meant being above Associate Professor and not quite a Full Professor in the UK, but outside the UK it should have equated to Full Professor. I tried to discuss this prior to appointment, but never knew who I should have pushed this matter with, so came anyway in the hope that I would be able to get bumped up as quickly as possible. It was also a difficult decision to make going for the Head of Discipline, which mainly was because I felt I could run the Chemical Engineering department more smoothly and try and get control of the hiring procedures so we could recruit properly. Not that the limitations were solely down to the existing Head of Chem Eng, but I sense that he is not passing on all information and keeping a few too many things close to his chest. In going for Full Professor I also found out that a colleague was applying for the same post. I refused to evaluate his application to spare the accusation of any bias and because there are no formal markers being used to evaluate each position. I know that this other person’s application was handed to a number of other colleagues, some of whom also refused to look at it because they felt their position being lower than the applicant could also be viewed as negative feedback if this individual didn’t get the position So there’s lots of politics ahead and I wouldn’t be surprised if this some implications further down the line.

Days 121 to 130

My new bike finally arrived! It is gorgeous – as bikes go. Had the longest wait whilst trying to talk to the customs office in Astana. Had the invoice printed out, all other documentation and they took 2 hours to finally tell me that they wanted me to pay €600 import duties. Strange because I could have altered the invoice and gave the bike a lower price and they would be none the wiser. Anyway after getting them to accept payment I then could go and collect. My guide then found us a taxi driver who threw the box into an open boot, wedged the box in and drove back the university. My new pride and joy just waiting to fall off the back of the taxi and under the wheels of the cars behind. I was not happy until I unpacked it.

It took a few days before getting out on it, so I had to wait patiently. And when I did get out for a ride I was not disappointed. Sean lead most of the way to some random spot 30km from the university, then we turned round and headed back to the barn. First bit of cycling for 6 months and didn’t feel too bad. However, went out the next morning on a tour around Astana, but there was more of a head wind, which just eat at my energy. On the way back I thought we were making good progress and then a tyre blew. Had to perform an emergency repair, which is not the easiest with tubular tyres if they are the Continental brand. Thankfully Sean put it all right and managed to limp home. Wondering if I should have stuck with clincher tyres after all. Then the day after, I get a phone call early in the morning from Sean who went out again for a ride, blew a puncture and couldn’t repair it. So I had to get a taxi and a map and get our receptionist to tell my driver to head to one stretch of road and look for a stranded cyclist. We found him and got him back safely. Samaritan job done.

Busy week for work back in Brighton. Had to Skype in to partake in a viva for one of my final year students, but I think it helped her relax somewhat knowing that she had a supporter there. Then had a couple of guys from the UK for an EU project meeting in Astana. Actually this was quite cool for me, as I was able to catch up with the situation and recent developments. But also more work in the pipeline to deal with for other project’s back in Brighton. Hopefully it shows my willing and desire to eventually return. Also meant I got out for a couple of meals and some fancy steak. Though one restaurant booked by one of our female secretaries took us to a place called Alasha, where they had live dancing. But their last dance was belly dancing and it was very funny to watch the rest of the table forget their meals as the dancing girls banged their bottoms against the shoulders of some of guests. I have to find the more incriminating photos of the UK lot.

Was asked to give a talk at a local university to try and recruit students for the tentative PhD program. This was all fine until it finished. One of the NU group went off to the bathroom and didn’t return. We went looking for him and couldn’t find him. I said he’s probably gone home as he speaks Russian and knows his way around. 40 minutes later the secretaries finally locate his mobile phone number and sure enough he was tucked in at home. So then we start waiting for the minibus to pick us up and take us home. I said we should jump in a taxi because it is hot and the driver is having serious problems if he cannot remember where he dropped us off. An hour later the secretaries decide we should get a taxi back to NU. Was not happy when we arrived an hour later. 5 minute talk and several hours of frustration with people who do not listen!

Running is improving slowly. Not sure I had ever run 10km before, but managed it. Took just under 55 minutes, which is not earth shattering speed, but I do not recall having ever run for that long. So a personal achievement and it gives a benchmark to try and improve. But to go from 10km to 42.2km doesn’t seem possible somehow. Just wish they’d fix the air conditioning in the gym; running at 22+oC is rather uncomfortable though did have my family come and cheer me on, for about 10 meters and then they left for chocolate.

Been trying to get the Block 38 manager’s to realise there are a set of problems linked to potentially serious health & safety issues, but currently it’s water off the duck’s back. At least I can demonstrate persistence and will try and educate them to take it seriously, though I hold out no hope of them delivering a solution. I am very thankful that there is no gas piped through to any of the buildings.

Ali and the children have been fine. Think we’ve all been yo-yoing in and out of sickness and various ailments. Still, we have a lot of carbon black on standby. It could just be a placebo, but Rebekah enjoys taking these black pills, and she reckons it makes her feel better. So that’s almost the same thing as it being a panacea. I’m sure these black pills were made by Lily the Pink...

I also think the weekly trip to a Hardees is also helping. Rebekah and Matthias are becoming slightly more adventurous with them trying and liking Chicken Shashlik (essentially a kebab with local seasoning). Matthias is totally hooked on cheeseburgers now. That’s my son. Been trying to get Matthias to control his temper as he has taken to having near major episodes when he is asked to do something he does not like, such as please go and put your sock in the laundry bag – a major effort to tear him away from the iPad or Wii. It took me a while to figure out a solution. Given that Matthias has a keen memory and wont let you forget all the promises Ali and I make, I finally realised to turn that around. So I asked him to think very carefully about how he would talk to us in the future and how he will react when we ask him to do things. He made a promise to not shout and sulk. And now I can remind him that he promised and in an instant he remembers and changes his tone. If only I could have thought of this sooner!

Ray

Days 111 to 120

We had the Provost of NU, a gentleman from Wales, give a talk to our School. Was quite revealing in that some senior managers just view this venture as a ride. Oh, they can talk the talk. But without top down involvement, any developed strategies will peter away, leaving those who invested their lives and marriages and their children’s education wondering why did we bother again? Thankfully it is not every senior manager. Time will tell. There are a number of people who have indicated their intension to leave. Perhaps it is expressions of desires than actual commitments to leave.

Had a colleague Joe sing as part of a 2 Stars talent contest. One song in English and the other in Kazakh. One academic and one student. Was well attended by the students and a smattering of staff too. Kids enjoyed it and Matthias and Kyria went up with Joe when the results came in. The sound recording was not great, but the atmosphere hopefully carries through:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSs0_YmDNb8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtoJSwYJdFM

Attended a meeting to push the development of the PhD program through for School of Engineering. The meeting was quite positive, though we spent more time discussing the title of the PhD than the actual content.

Celebrated Sean’s birthday, a crazy triathlete from Australia. Children had lots of fun chasing balloons round someone else’s apartment. I tried desperately to get Sean to eat as much junk food as possible. He’s 6 foot tall and weighs a postage stamp and obviously needs fattening up to make it easier on me when my bike arrives.

Joe’s mum and sister came in from the USA bearing gifts. Kids very excited to get a giant jar of Jelly Beans. And we went back to a restaurant not far from where we initially stayed. Somewhat embarrassing though. We did not organise this get together at that restaurant but were keen to come along. Turns out that we had no Russian speakers in our party and there was no picture menu. So I had to text Kevin for assistance and he duly obliged, having remembered what Ali and I ordered several months previously. Just showed the waitress the text message and we were fine.

Running has been a challenge. Felt I was over-pronating, which was causing sharp pains around my ankles. Then felt very conscious about concentrating about how to run. Must have looked a right twerp, face screwed up in procrastination trying to look at my feet landing on the treadmill. They say running suddenly gets a lot easier. Cannot wait for that day.

Ray

Days 101 to 110

Switching from daily to block-of-days writing is much harder than I thought. Perhaps it is because of my tired brain trying to recollect what has been happening over the last 10 days (or so). Anyway, practise makes perfect – or leads to less mistakes – pick your adage.

Work continues with a mixture of potential hope and a modicum of frustration. I was asked to conduct a health and safety evaluation of a room to be used for experimental purposes and bearing in mind I have no formal training, there was no qualified electrician or fire officer either, I tried to ensure I could not be held liable. This government announcement of holidays at the end of the week and overlapping with the weekend is really confusing. This is also exam time and the schedule was drawn up months in advance. So there are colleagues who have to work during the holiday and are still expected to turn up for work on Sunday. Had a little tête-à-tête with a senior manager after it was announced that private taxis were banned from entering campus and the problems that would ensue, particularly for families. But it turned out they only meant gypsy cabs, though it didn’t stop some staff from experiencing problems trying to get on campus in uni hired taxis. In trying to sort out the frustrations, decided I should try and get on the Faculty Senate. A little more work, a lot more headaches I’m sure, but hopefully exposed to better communication.

I had a good score in a recent funding application, hopefully it will get funded. The other funding application was not submitted by the research office, much to my disappointment. It took several emails to finally get some answers. They could have avoided the rhetoric had the just admitted the problem in the first email rather than gloss over it. Don’t think Kazakhstani custom allows for admitting you were wrong, but try and point the blame elsewhere. So I ruffled a few feathers, but managed to smooth things over with the individual involved. The others need to learn how to communicate with me. I can get feisty and highlight their shortcomings; not a great attribute I grant you, but I am exhausted by the admittedly not-that-frequent incompetent actions of those in managerial roles.

This renting out the home remotely is not good for my anxiety levels. We have a great managing agent in place who is keeping on top of things. But they reported that damp patches are appearing on the chimney breast in the main bedroom. I had sealed and painted the chimney after it was skimmed and damp patches are now showing. Hopefully it is nothing more than the chimney needs a lot of time to dry out and I should have used a better sealant. And by trying to get on these problems straight away, hoping that the tenants feel happy they are being looked after.

Some good news. I had an MRI scan and they can confirm I have a brain! There’s nothing wrong with it either, so the cluster headaches I’m getting appear to have no root cause inside the skull. We’ve all been feeling a little under the weather. Not sure if it is a bug going round, but decided I would try the activated carbon remedy, which they use a lot in the former Soviet states. It does work too. Well worth getting a supply on standby for food poisoning, a lot of stomach complaints, radionuclear contaminated food, etc. Just got to get over the fear of eating a black pill.

I purchase a new pair of trainers and have to say... what a waste of money. I recently traded up my Nike Dart 9s (inexpensive) for a pair of Adidas Supernova Glide Boost (expensive). There’s almost no real difference in weight, thickness of padding. The Adidas are better fitting, supposedly with more stability control and bouncy material, but actually caused more painful issues during the run than the Nikes. It could be that I need time to get used to them, but I came across this report – alas after I made the purchase – which is well worth the read if you want to buy running shoes for running: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html. Of course, it could be that the Nike Dart’s were an excellent pair of running shoes anyway. So I am still waiting for my bike to turn up. I now have the complete set of clothing and all the accessories were delivered late yesterday, so I am now prancing about in my fluoro gear and cycling shorts, but without a bike. I get some strange looks I can tell you. Very impressed with Parcel Force, which I had mentioned before. They appear to get through Kazakhstani customs quicker than any other foreign company. So whilst I am waiting, I am trying to build my fitness levels again by running and perhaps stupidly decided that training for running the marathon distance is a good idea – hence needing an expensive pair of running shoes, because there’s no way I am going to do all the hard work and need “The new BOOST™ foam with its unique energy capsules features a magical combination of functional benefits: Unlike any other foam it gives a soft and springy cushioning and feels ‘alive’. It energizes your running stride for more efficiency independent from the temperature and ensures maximum comfort.” What a fool I am. My hat is off to Ali who is diligently keeping up with her training regime for couch to 5k and she ran 25 minutes without stopping; please bear in mind she has never run for that long continuously.  

The weather last week was quite naff. It started snowing again and temperatures dropped into the negative centigrade region. Then it was blowing hurricane force winds, which had ripped apart aluminium sheet fencing round the building site next door. Very concerning that you could get sliced and diced. But we had braved the elements and Ali and Rebekah have been very cultured and went to ballet the other day to see Swan Lake. Nearly said Swan Walk, but only the Horshamites would get that and would not have been nearly as graceful either. They had a good time at the Astana Opera House and we thank Wynter and Jennifer for giving up their tickets. We’re now faced with the other 14 things to do on the top attractions of Astana list, which doesn’t make for great reading outside the top 3. Still, we are here so we are going to make the best of it.

Had a chance to lead worship last Sunday. Doesn’t help that my voice is low and therefore unsure beforehand whether anyone singing in the audible range are comfortable or straining. Still, the expat get together has become important to us. We’re faced with a lot of changes over the coming months with a number of people moving from Astana or leaving the area. But this is the group we feel we get the most out of for us and for the children. Definitely missing Kings fellowship, although WhatsApp lifegroup keeps us in touch.

Experienced our first water shortage. The taps went off late one day and didn’t resume for 24 hours. No notice and poor communication. We were told it was city wide and would only be a few hours. Then it was going to be all day. Turns out it was only our block, with no explanation as to why we were told otherwise. This is Kazakhstan.

Ray

Day 100

So after months of going out in the cold, we finally left our winter coats behind. Yet Astana seems to have skipped the spring and moved straight on to summer today as the children and I were positively stifling in our lighter jackets while out for the day today. The locals obviously really feel the cold and are still going about well wrapped up - that's why all their places indoors are so incredibly warm. On a very crowded (and very warm) bus today Kyria sat on the lap of a Kazakh lady (they either give up seats for children or invite them to sit on their laps!). This lady was obviously concerned that Kyria's thin cardigan was completely inadequate to protect her from the elements... I showed her the coat I was having to carry and tried to explain that it was simply too hot.  I'm sure they think we don't dress our children properly at all. Fortunately the American friends we were with had shorts and T-shirts so it's not just us who were warm. I know that once the real heat of summer hits I'll be longing for that -30 degrees C again. As Ray says... I'm never satisfied about the weather! Personally I think I'd be perfectly happy in a steady 15-20 degrees... Where should we live next?

Ali

Experienced a great get together of staff and faculty for a singing contest called Two Stars, where a member of staff and a student form a duo to sing 1 song in English and another in Kazakh. Happy to report that my office colleague won. Think the children really enjoyed it too. Matthias and Kyria went with Joe for the announcements so they got a moment in the limelight.

The student academic misconduct highlighted some interesting aspects of rules and whether to follow them. Cheating by bringing in notes into an exam is a serious offence. The rules are strict and yet it was the view of the managers that the punishment for the student should not directly or indirectly lead to the expelling of the student. It was their first crime and therefore the student received a lesser punishment and a warning. I am still trying to gauge whether this is a good thing or not. The student showed no remorse other than they got caught. The student is done a disservice as they knew full well it was wrong to cheat. Other students are also done a disservice as this sends the wrong message. Plus the two strikes and you're (possibly) out for serious offences does not happen in the real world, so this does not help students learn for the future.

Anyway, chocolate helped ease the frustrations. That is until I got an email from HR, which stated that new Kazakhstani holidays have been announced and so our working week has been altered. I now am required to work from the 4-11 May, in exchange for getting 1-3 and 7-10 May off. It's not a hassle, but it is just another reminder of T.I.K. (this is Kazakhstan). If we don't like it, then quit. Trouble is I've heard that some people are going to, not as a result of this holiday rearrangement, but just the combination of events since Christmas without any sign of improvement. However, 100 days in and I am feeling a little more relaxed about the situation. It could all change within an instant. Someone quipped that if the President passes away and the number 2 guy takes over then pack your bags and get on a flight home. But if the number 3 guy gets the top spot then just get on a flight home.

Happy Easter everyone.

Ray

 

ps. San Diego, Ali?

Day 99

Our new view

Almost there. Just one more day and I'm done. The weekend that is and not the 100th post.

Was in a lot of back-to-back meetings today. Was able to confront my Head of Discipline on a few issues. Also raised a whole load more with the Provost. I think I kept my tongue under diplomatic control, so I probably keep my job a little longer. Plus I got an evaluation score back today via the US; the university uses Oak Ridge Associated Universities to evaluate all internal proposals and I scored above the funding threshold. So I should be in line to get my first project up and running here. Just waiting on the second result to come through and a few others I've been involved with.

We received the report from the investigation of the piece of marble nearly hitting our kids. It turns out that it was not from an external tile broken away, but from inside the building on the 9th floor and was thrown by person(s) unknown. It also transpires that the supervisor dealing with building/construction work was not present either. So the university has taken a very strong stance against the construction company and demanded that they identify those responsible in order to hold them to account. We keep reminding ourselves that thankfully this careless discarding of masonry out of the 9th floor did not end up with anything serious happening.

No leaf unpolished

Just got to survive to the end of a student's academic misconduct hearing tomorrow and I'm free to relax over the Easter weekend. Must plan a treasure hunt for the kids. And hope the cleaning staff don't remove any items. They are thorough.
 

Ray

Day 98

To apply for head of school position or not? Difficult question to answer. I am not a chemical engineer, so if I were to get it would that expose the school to difficulties. However, with the current set-up, things are not going great either. Lack of direct experience in head of school role, but have been through most academic procedures. At least for all other parts of the role, I can do without too many difficulties. So I guess it comes down to whether the Dean would take me seriously. And also whether I would have power to make changes or simply have to toe the line.

We moved! I think Ali is completely fed up with moving now. 3 times this year. At least this is a bigger place, better utilisation of the space. They had the radiators not working properly, so were on full blast for many months without anyone checking. Had to have the tiles in the en suite bathroom removed as they were hanging off the wall. But atleast they were able to sort things fairly quickly. And checking out of the other apartment was very straight forward and not as daunting as I could have imagined it.

Well, we have flights confirmed for Ali and the children to go back to the UK at the end of June and I will head along a couple of weeks after. It is still a strange set-up that I have a limited amount of time for holidays and expected to stay put in Astana with very little to do during the Summer before and after my holidays are used. I cannot even get away to do some research, which is rather depressing. Still Summer should be fun albeit busy driving around the country (if I remember how) trying to catch up with everyone.

I wonder if culture shock with the UK will hit us. Probably not this Summer. Very much looking forward to a few curries and roast dinners; the Phillips family sent through some needed supplies. I am not sure what I am more excited to see. The bar of Toblerone or the Paxo Stuffing! Thank you all.

Very excited also to see some Easter-y things appear in some shops. It is all within a Russian Orthodox setting, but its presence is appreciated. Decorating eggs must be a big thing in the USA as I have had several American colleagues all talk about having egg paint available for the children. I'm sure that a lot of them are not interested in the origins of Easter though. I could be and hope I am wrong.

Ray

Day 97

And so we are ready to move again... Perhaps we should open a removal company one day or a packing/ unpacking service! At least it gives us a chance to have yet another clear out... It's amazing what junk we can accumulate in just a few weeks. 

In school we finished reading The Snow Queen, prompted to see how it compared to the movie 'Frozen'. And then spent a while decorating some eggs. My egg-blowing attempt was a disaster so ended up hard boiling them after all and since half the box was already cracked there weren't a lot left! A second attempt required after the move I think. 

Ali

Partially moved into a new apartment. Lots more room, but what a pain trying to clear everything after 4 weeks on the 4th floor. Kids have been great moving a few items at a time and enjoying the potential of fun and well mannered frolicks on the 10th floor.

Somewhat knackered at present. Whole family went down to Block 21 and I went on to the gym. Ran for an hour, which I have not done for a fair few decades. My legs are not happy with me.

Ray

Day 96

A quieter day, but perhaps that was due to the children all feeling under the weather. We are moving again! Going from the 4th floor to the 10th floor. Alas we couldn't get to the top floor, so we still have an unknown living above us. But for a three bedroom apartment, I'm pretty sure there's only a single Kazakhstani guy up there. Will be interesting to hear how much noise comes through now that there will be someone living above us. At least we don't have to move far and so the packing should be a bit easier.

The weather is slowly warming up, but not sure how long it will last. Finally got the last bits of my conference trip paperwork signed and submitted. I keep finding new and interesting aspects of my work. In going to South Korea, there is a daily limit on how much the university will allowed to be covered for a hotel and daily living allowance. They've worked everything out to the tiniest minutiae for when I will be in Kazakhstani airspace and receive a lesser allowance. I can just about understand why they do it like this in order to limit any possible embezzlement, but in my mind it really only serves to show a lack of trust in the expatriate academic staff and an inability to hold them accountable should any individual abuse their position. Someone even sent through a request for thoughts as to why it is difficult to conduct research at NU. The list I sent back was 3 pages long. I seriously doubt that anyone will take it seriously enough to do anything about it, which is somewhat disheartening. But as I said before, we're allocated a slot and should we accept that slot, then we stay in that slot until contract end. Trying to enjoy work and continue progressing research takes a lot of creativity. I'm not sure how much I can endure. Plus I still haven't heard about my research trip abroad, which looks to be impossible now for this year.

Ali is considering developing her own curricula for Rebakah and Matthias or whether it is best to just buy someone else's. I think I could go for something like that and put in some really fun lessons. Two hours of sci-fi movies, an hour of building Lego with Matthias, guitar music lessons with the girls, followed by three hours of cooking and a bike ride for sports.

Ray

Day 95

These weekends are becoming hard work. Rebekah and Kyria were up during the night for nocturnal visitations. Then again by Kyria in the morning just before 7am. Got up for negotiations with Matthias over the Wii, breakfast and getting dressed. Then out for morning church and an impromptu leading of the English youth group. Then back to base for food, further negotiations with Matthias, the Wii and food. Then out for the afternoon session, co-leading the worship session, Kyria going steadily green and then promptly was sick in the hotel hallway whilst we were dashing for a taxi. Get the kids read and Kyria settled. A little Harry Potter though I was dashing onto the computer trying to find out what was happening in the Paris-Roubaix cycle race. More food. Throw the kids into bed and then finish off Skyfall (ran out of energy last night) then having Rebekah creep up on us at the one not nice moment in the film. Then ensuring everything is ready for tomorrow. And that feels like an average day, heading into Monday totally drained. I wonder when our children will start sleeping through every night properly? I know that is usually coupled with not getting up in the mornings, but I could cope with that for a little bit seeing as we are not rushing into schools in the mornings at the moment.

The destabilisation of Ukraine is getting worse. Sensing that things will come to a head more quickly now with pro-Russians wanting to push towards the Dnieper River, splitting the country down the middle. It still is infuriating to hear the "protection of Russian speakers" line being repeated in defence of their actions. A real Clintonism. Dmitry Rogozin said some pretty inflammatory remarks, but the one that probably is correct is that economic focus is heading towards the East, but I doubt without the participation of current Western powers. How the surrounding countries to Russia will then behave is probably an easy guess. No doubt with several trying to walk a tight rope until the US meets Russia head on; no one else can make a stand, save Germany perhaps. I think they've got enough economic clout to survive the cold shoulder. As for Kazakhstan, the country could be effectively split along the centre, but their economy is closely ties into the region and I would not be surprised if another devaluation of the Tenge were to ensue before the year is out.

Ray

 

Day 94

A trip to the HSBC was somewhat over shadowed by them not being open, so had to go the Khan Shatyr to make up for it. We also bought our water filter jug from there and needed some replacement cartridges, but they didn't sell any. So we bought a new water filter jug and 5 replacement cartridges and hoping that there will be more available in 6 months time. The adage of buying it all when you see it still rules. Naturally the children are also wanting to exercise this rule for all the toys they see.

Whilst the children were distracted with cheeseburgers, Ali and I got talking about home schooling in the UK. There still seems to be a bit of a stigma to families that home school, whereas most other places it is perfectly normal and there are funds to support it. I wondered if you can opt out of schools from your Council Tax bill and put the £1.50 per month saving towards a few pencils? The concept of home schooling is alien to me. My parents put me into schools and I did the same to my children when they were of age. Apart from it "being the done thing", what are the reasons for doing so? I don't have many fond memories of school, but perhaps I have forgotten some of the good and the bad. I do remember a lot of apprehension and desire to abscond. But did meet some excellent people who have remained good friends 25+ years later (Doug, Steve...). I guess for my parents, Sandy and I being in school allowed them to continue in the rat race of trying to make ends meet. And I didn't fair too badly when I put my mind to it.

Home schooling does seem like an attractive adventure and it is not time or country dependant. So apart from the social aspect of it, and Ali's desire to spend time in Costa or Starbucks with a good book and not being interrupted by children, it is difficult to know if we will put our children back into school when we return to the UK. We know the merits of the British education system. Yet Ali is a qualified teacher and the children (appear to) respond well to their new school, so we can establish a tailored curriculum on a 3-to-1 learning basis. I am sure I can do science experiments with them. So GCSEs should not be a problem. Rebekah wants to be a teacher, Matthias a pilot and Kyria, well Kyria is just happy making everyone laugh. So motivation for learning is there. I wonder whether Ali is ready to relinquish her dreams of relaxing Starbucks every weekday mornings?

Ray

Day 93

Happy Nauryz part 2. Still no real idea why they have a second celebration. One thought proffered was that a lot of people went away for holidays during the first Nauryz celebration so they wanted a second event to do the actual celebration. Maybe I could try this for Christmas...

Still there was lots of dancing, singing and some theatre. Children enjoyed it, which was a nice lead into their pyjama party, which also doubled as a babysitting service. Ali and I were able to nip around the block to an Italian restaurant, which served a really nice meal. The only problem was their credit card machine refused several of my cards, which I know are working, and we had limited cash. So a quick trip to wash up in the kitchens later and then Ali was ready to leave.

Had another headache trying to figure out the needlessly over complicated holiday forms, but I think we got there in the end. So it looks like we are coming back to the UK for July. Looking forward to catching up with as many family and friends that are available. Somewhat worried about driving a car after a 6 month break.

Ray